by Michelle Zauner Overall: a beautifully written memoir about Zauner’s relationship with her mother, who died of cancer. Zauner, an only child, grew up in the Pacific Northwest with her Korean mom and her American father. She often returned to Korea to spend time with her mother’s family, with whom she became close despite neverContinue reading “Crying in H Mart”
Author Archives: Liz Helfrich
Unmasked
by Paul Holes A true-crime book written by a veteran investigator with a strong background in forensic, Unmasked details the parallel tracks of Holes’ career as an investigator in California and his personal life. This book is honest about the incredible toll taken by Holes’ dedication to his field on his family and on hisContinue reading “Unmasked”
The Best We Could Do
by Thi Bui Graphic memoir has become one of my favorite genres, and this book is a standout example of why. Bui, a teacher in California, learned to draw comics to produce this book, which took ten years. Beginning with the birth of her son, Bui traces her family history back to its origins inContinue reading “The Best We Could Do”
Hyperbole and a Half
by Allie Brosh Graphic memoir has rapidly become one of my favorite genres. Brosh is a queen of the genre, having published Hyperbole and a Half as well as a follow-up, Solutions and Other Problems. Her artistic style is super quirky and blends perfectly with the self-deprecating humor and psychological self-analysis in Brosh’s writing. TheContinue reading “Hyperbole and a Half”
The Left Hand of Darkness
by Ursula K. Le Guin I felt guilty that I had never read anything by one of the grande dames of sci-fi, Ursula K. Le Guin. So, I picked up The Left Hand of Darkness, widely regarded as one of her best books. Published in 1969, it takes place in the distant future on aContinue reading “The Left Hand of Darkness”
Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson Benny and Byron’s mother, Eleanor, has left them a mysterious recording and instructions to eat her last black cake (carefully preserved in her freezer) together at the right time. As the story unfolds, we also meet Covey and Bunny, young women growing up on an unnamed Caribbean island in the 1960s. TheContinue reading “Black Cake”
How Lucky
by Will Leitch When Stephen King, Richard Russo, and Chris Bohjalian blurb a book, I’m going to pick it up. And I’m so glad I did! How Lucky is told by Daniel, who happens to be on his porch in Athens, Georgia, early one fall morning and sees a young woman get into a down-at-the-heelsContinue reading “How Lucky”
The Christie Affair
by Nina de Gramont Overall: The only thing I love more than historical fiction is “Golden Age” detective fiction, so The Christie Affair had a huge head start with me. Based on the true story of Agatha Christie’s mysterious 11-day disappearance early in her writing career in 1926, this book is told from the perspectiveContinue reading “The Christie Affair”
The Woman in the Library
by Sulari Gentill Overall: Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid, an Australian author who’s won a prestigious fellowship, is attempting to write in the Boston Public Library when she hears a woman scream. In the scream’s aftermath, she bonds with a few of the people sitting around her: Marigold Anastas, a psychology student, Whit Metters, a law student,Continue reading “The Woman in the Library”
The Book of Cold Cases
by Simone St. James Overall: a solid thriller mashed with a ghost story, told by two narrators. One is Shea, a recently divorced true crime blogger (the Book of Cold Cases is her website) and survivor of a childhood abduction. She’s drifting through her life, a prisoner of many understandable fears, when she accidentally meetsContinue reading “The Book of Cold Cases”
Liz Helfrich 